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The Irony of Democracy With Infotrac: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics

Irony of Democracy : An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics

The Irony of Democracy An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics

The Irony of Democracy: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics, 15th Edition

Summary

After 30 years in print, THE IRONY OF DEMOCRACY still offers the freshest, most clear-sighted approach to American government available. In this Twelfth Edition, the authors again present an unrepentantly elitist approach to American democracy--contending that it is the elites and not the masses that govern our country. This edition uses elite theory to provide many new unique insights, including discussion of the 2000 elections and the events surrounding September 11.

Table of Contents

To the Student

ix

To the Instructor

xi

The Irony of Democracy

1

(26)

The Meaning of Elitism

2

(2)

The Meaning of Democracy

4

(2)

Elitism in a Democracy

6

(6)

Focus: Mass Distrust of America's Elite

7

(5)

The Meaning of Pluralism

12

(1)

How Elitism and Pluralism Differ

13

(2)

Elite and Mass Threats to Democracy

15

(7)

Focus: Terrorism's Threat to Democracy

19

(3)

An Elitist Theory of Democracy

22

(5)

Notes

23

(1)

Selected Readings

24

(3)

The Founding Fathers: The Nation's First Elite

27

(32)

Elites and Masses in the New Nation

28

(1)

Elite Preferences: Inspiration for a New Constitution

29

(4)

Formation of a National Elite

33

(4)

Elite Consensus in 1787

37

(3)

An Elite in Operation: Conciliation and Compromise

40

(3)

The Constitution as Elitist Document

43

(5)

Elitism and the Structure of the National Government

48

(5)

Focus: James Madison, Suppressing Majority ``Factions''

51

(2)

Ratification: An Exercise in Political Skills

53

(6)

Summary

56

(1)

Notes

57

(1)

Selected Readings

57

(2)

The Evolution of American Elites

59

(30)

Hamilton and the Nation's First Public Policies

60

(2)

Rise of the Jeffersonians

62

(1)

Republicans in Power: The Stability of Public Policy

63

(2)

Rise of the Western Elites

65

(1)

Elite Cleavage: The Civil War

66

(4)

Rise of the New Industrial Elite

70

(5)

Liberal Establishment: Reform as Elite Self-Interest

75

(3)

Vietnam: Elite Failure to Lead

78

(4)

The Gulf War: Elite Leadership Restored

82

(7)

Summary

85

(2)

Notes

87

(1)

Selected Readings

87

(2)

Elites in America

89

(32)

The Concentration of Corporate Power

90

(4)

The Global Elites

94

(7)

Focus: Corporate Merger Mania

94

(7)

Corporate Elites

101

(3)

Focus: Greed in the Boardroom

103

(1)

Government Elites

104

(5)

Focus: The Bush Restoration

105

(4)

Elite Recruitment: Getting to the Top

109

(3)

The Liberal Establishment

112

(2)

Focus: Elite Attitudes toward Mass Governance

113

(1)

The Conservative Mood

114

(7)

Focus: Where to Find the Establishment

115

(2)

Summary

117

(1)

Notes

118

(1)

Selected Readings

119

(2)

Masses in America

121

(32)

Elite Gains, Mass Losses

122

(6)

Inequality in America

128

(2)

Mass Disaffection from Politics

130

(2)

Antidemocratic Attitudes among the Masses

132

(5)

Are the Masses Becoming More Democratic?

137

(3)

Focus: Mass Confidence in American Institutions

139

(1)

Mass Political Ignorance

140

(3)

Mass Political Apathy

143

(2)

Focus: What if the People Voted on National Issues?

143

(2)

How Does Democracy Survive?

145

(2)

The Dangers of Mass Activism

147

(6)

Summary

150

(1)

Notes

151

(1)

Selected Readings

152

(1)

Elite-Mass Communication

153

(26)

The News Makers

153

(2)

The Media's Political Functions

155

(4)

Bashing America for Fun and Profit

159

(4)

Liberal Bias in Television News

163

(1)

Focus: The Hollywood Liberals

163

(1)

Bias and Slander: Freedoms of the Press

164

(2)

Media Campaigns

166

(3)

Media Coverage of Presidential Elections

169

(2)

Assessing Media Impact

171

(8)

Focus: Feeding Frenzy in Florida

172

(4)

Summary

176

(1)

Notes

177

(1)

Selected Readings

177

(2)

American Political Parties: A System in Decay

179

(26)

The Responsible Party Model in Disarray

180

(1)

Democratic and Republican Parties: Consensus or Competition?

181

(3)

Declining Mass Attachments to Parties

184

(1)

Are Democrats Liberal and Republicans Conservative?

185

(4)

Focus: Mass Perceptions of the Parties

188

(1)

Political Parties as Oligarchies

189

(3)

Presidential Primaries and the Deterioration of Parties

192

(4)

Focus: Where the Parties Get Their Money

192

(3)

Focus: Presidential Primaries 2000

195

(1)

Realignment or Dealignment?

196

(3)

Independent and Third-Party Politics

199

(6)

Summary

202

(1)

Notes

203

(1)

Selected Readings

203

(2)

Elections, Money, and the Myths of Democracy

205

(28)

The Myth of the Policy Mandate

206

(1)

The Myth of the Policy-Oriented Voter

207

(1)

The Group Basis of Voting

208

(2)

The Economic Basis of Voting

210

(1)

Candidate Image Voting

211

(1)

Money Drives Elections

212

(8)

Focus: Images of Bush and Gore, 2000

212

(8)

Democracy versus the Electoral College

220

(5)

Focus: Bush v. Gore in the U.S. Supreme Court

224

(1)

Staying Home on Election Day

225

(1)

Elections as Symbolic Reassurance

226

(7)

Summary

230

(2)

Notes

232

(1)

Selected Readings

232

(1)

Organized Interests: Defenders of the Status Quo

233

(22)

Interest Groups: Democratic or Elitist?

233

(2)

The Business, Professional, and Class Bias of Interest Groups

235

(4)

How Well Do Groups Represent Members?

239

(4)

Focus: Leaders and Followers---The American Association of Retired Persons

242

(1)

Lobbying: How Organized Interests Influence Government

243

(5)

PAC Power

248

(1)

Conservative Influence of Organizations

249

(6)

Focus: The Business of the Business Roundtable

251

(1)

Summary

252

(1)

Notes

253

(1)

Selected Readings

254

(1)

The Presidency

255

(30)

The President as Symbolic Leader

255

(3)

The Presidency and the Masses

258

(3)

The President's Formal Powers

261

(1)

Presidential Powers of Persuasion

262

(3)

Focus: Sex, Lies, and Impeachment

263

(2)

George H. W. Bush: The Dual Presidency

265

(2)

The Clinton Legacy

267

(5)

Focus: Presidential Sex

271

(1)

George W., In His Father's Footsteps

272

(4)

Issues in Presidential Power: The War-Making Controversy

276

(4)

Watergate and the Limits of Presidential Power

280

(5)

Summary

282

(1)

Notes

283

(1)

Selected Readings

284

(1)

The Bureaucratic Elite

285

(32)

Sources of Bureaucratic Power

286

(2)

Organization of the Washington Bureaucracy

288

(3)

Focus: Mass Attitudes toward Washington Bureaucracies

288

(3)

Presidential Control of the Bureaucracy

291

(4)

Focus: Bureaucratic Maneuvers

294

(1)

The Budget Maze

295

(4)

Elite Fiscal Responsibility?

299

(4)

Bureaucratic Power, Iron Triangles, and Revolving Doors

303

(3)

The Bureaucratic Elite

306

(1)

The Regulatory Quagmire

307

(5)

Focus: The Fed: Money Is Too Important to Be Left to Elected Officials